Joe Riley is currently completing his GRA at the Shepherd Center - Catastrophic Care Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. He works in the Quality Resources & Outcomes Department on process improvement projects.

Joe Riley is currently completing his GRA at the Shepherd Center - Catastrophic Care Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. He works in the Quality Resources & Outcomes Department on process improvement projects.

Revision as of 01:56, 4 September 2007

Joe Riley is currently completing his GRA at the Shepherd Center - Catastrophic Care Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. He works in the Quality Resources & Outcomes Department on process improvement projects.

He will be graduating with his Masters degree Health Systems Engineering in December 2007, which he will then pursue a career in healthcare informatics.

8/30/07 - Hughes Spalding Visit...
The site visit was a great success. I saw many opportunities for improvement while also opening up my eyes to the world of pediatric healthcare. The mission of a children's hospital is so touching. It is a moving experience to see children being healed.

Overview -

Hughes Spalding is a 42 bed hospital that does primary care mainly and focuses on the following service lines:
-Asthma
-Sickle Cell
-Child Advocacy

The hospital plans to upgrade it's outdated facilities in the near future. This has presented a huge challenge.

The group was fortunate enough to step in on the end of a design meeting for the new construction plans. It was very interesting to see how the staff at Hughes Spalding is planning to take a 1951 based design into year 2015 and beyond. The group's focus seemed to be one:
-Crowd Control
-Staffing Efficiencies
-Adaptability
-Specific Diseases

Observations -
1. The old marble and other materials created a very gloomy feel throughout the hospital.
2. The facilities were unable to support some newer technologies (i.e. the power setup could not support new radiology equipment; therefore the equipment being used was over 25 years old).
3. The tunnel (owned by Grady) has several problems that could be solved by this class.
4. Wayfinding was confusing around the hospital.
5. The waiting room for families was very small.

New Ideas
1. The new children's playroom could be an excellent project.
2. We could collaborate with the Child Life specialist in using evidence based design for the new playroom.
3. The tunnel to Grady could use improvements.
4. There is a need for purposeful wayfinding signage for the new entrance layout to the hospital.
5. The waiting room layouts could be improved.

Conversations -
1. Dr. Zimring and I discussed where the lead architect for the project came from.
2. Listened to the tour guide and asked questions.
3. Talked with Elaine Smith about creative ways to improve the tunnel.